310 CHAMOIS HUNTING. 



suspected danger, but I did not think they could see me, 

 for they had not whistled as yet ; and there was still a 

 possibility they might, in moving on, come a little nearer, 

 for at present they were a long distance off. There they 

 stood for a time, I all the while hardly daring to move 

 even my eyelids, anxious what the next moment would 

 bring with it. The nearest chamois was the smaller of 

 the two, — it was of a reddish colour, while the other 

 larger one was quite black. But he was the further off, 

 so, if I fired at all, I thought it would be better to take 

 the nearer animal. Thus we remained in presence of 

 each other ; all was still and silent as the very air, — it was 

 as if everything had been petrified by some sudden spell. 



Suddenly the nearer chamois utters the sharp whistle ; 

 but he gazes still, and is motionless. I now knew there 

 was no hope of their coming nearer; in a moment they 

 would be off. There was no time to lose; and, bring- 

 ing my cheek down to my rifle, to take aim, I carefully 

 prepared to fire. The loud report breaks the long silence. 

 " Is he hit ?" I ask myself. " No, they're both going 

 away ! It cannot have touched him ! Yet the one that 

 lags behind — he does not leap up the mountain so lightly 

 as the other ! I don't know though — something seems 

 the matter with him — yet— yes, he's off!" Far as he now 

 was, I still fired the other barrel, and knew at once I had 

 missed. 



I followed their track some distance, to see if there 

 were any drops of blood on the snow, but to my great 

 vexation found nothing. Bauer now came over the 

 mountain, and at once called to ask if I had got one of 

 them. 



" There were two, were there not ?" he said. " I only 

 saw the second after 1 had fired my rifle. You have 

 missed ? What, did not they come near ? No, you can't 



